Customs and border control expenses total 80.5 million euros, with federal law enforcement continually at work.
In September 2024, the German government reintroduced border controls at all state borders, a move that has been met with criticism from various political factions. The costs associated with this operation have been the subject of public scrutiny.
Approximately 2 million euros were spent on the operation of border stations, while 2.6 million euros were allocated for "leadership and deployment means." From April to the end of June this year, the federal government spent approximately 8 million euros on the catering and accommodation of officials in hotels. The largest item of expense is the "overtime pay" of the Federal Police, amounting to 37.9 million euros in additional deployment-related costs.
Up to 14,000 Federal Police officers are currently deployed at the German state borders. The additional costs for their deployment ranged between 24 and 29.1 million euros per quarter. Around 3 million euros were spent on allowances for "duty at unfavorable times" during the same period. However, the total cost of border controls from mid-September 2024 until the end of June 2025 is 80.5 million euros, according to available information.
It's important to note that the exact total cost and main expenditure categories specifically for reintroduced border controls at German state borders from September 2024 to June 2025 have not been disclosed in the searched results or publicly detailed sources. However, general categories usually include personnel costs for border police and customs officers deployed at checkpoints, infrastructure and equipment expenses, administrative costs related to planning, coordination, and operational support, and possible indirect economic costs due to delays or trade impacts caused by border checks.
The federal government has announced that border controls will be extended again, with both controls and returns taking place after September. Yet, no new costs or spending figures related to these extensions have been made public.
Clara Bünger, an interior politician from the Left party, has sharply criticized the federal government for the border controls and the rejection of asylum seekers. Bünger's criticism was published in the Funke newspapers. One case of asylum rejection by the Federal Police was declared unlawful by the Berlin Administrative Court, a decision based on similar judgments from the European Court of Justice.
The federal government has a budget of approximately €480.6 billion for 2025, but there is no allocation detail shown for these specific border controls. Meanwhile, technological developments in EU border management are planned for later in 2025 and beyond, such as the Entry/Exit System (EES) and ETIAS, but these focus on external Schengen borders rather than internal German state borders.
In conclusion, while the exact costs and main expenditure categories of the reintroduced border controls at German state borders remain unclear, the operation has been a significant financial commitment for the federal government. The ongoing debate surrounding these controls and their impact on asylum seekers and border communities continues to be a topic of public discussion.
The ongoing reintroduced border controls at German state borders, a subject of public scrutiny, have incurred significant costs for the federal government. These costs, while not entirely disclosed, are likely to be included in the budget of €480.6 billion for 2025, under policy-and-legislation and crime-and-justice categories in politics. The controversies surrounding these controls, including criticism from Clara Bünger of the Left party and court cases involving asylum seekers, are part of the general-news discussion.
